Cooper Center for Active Living

Project Description:

The new Cooper Center for Active Living is a three-story facility designed for the growing senior population in Newton. The project came out of a comprehensive feasibility study that provided an impartial assessment of program needs based on trends and demographics, compared potential sites, estimated costs for each preferred site and evaluated operational options for the center. The goal of the new center was to meet the unique needs of seniors while offering a welcoming and enriching space for the entire community. The building includes a 6,500-square-foot gym with a suspended walking track, a multipurpose room, commercial kitchen, library, lounge, cafe, ceramics and art studios, game room, fitness studio, activity rooms and offices. Since the Cooper Center was designed for an older adult population, key features include many universal design principles, such as barrier-free entries, railings at the main circulation corridors, wider hallways and additional clearances — particularly at doors and seating areas. Vibrant color schemes differentiate each floor to minimize mental disorientation. Located in a tight urban site surrounded by smaller residential-scaled homes, the Cooper Center is designed with tiered setbacks both in plan and section to reduce the building massing. The exterior utilizes an architectural language with sloping roofs, bricks, a roof deck and large windows to better fit the scale and design language of the surrounding neighborhood.